44 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



are scarce, and basswood is abundant, the beginner need not hesi 

 tate to use basswood shingles, providing they are well coated with 

 coal tar once in two or three years. They may be sawed, cut, or 

 shaved. I have laid several thousands of sawed basswood shingles 

 during the past season, and I have great confidence in them. 

 It is necessary to use nearly twice as many nails in nailing them 

 on as is necessary for pine and hemlock. If basswood shingles are 

 from eight to ten inches wide, each shingle should be nailed with 

 at least five nails ; otherwise, when they become a little wet, they 

 will expand, and the middles, or edges, will rise or " bulge up." 

 If well nailed they will make a neat roof ; and if kept well coated 

 with tar, will be serviceable a hundred years. (See PAINTING 

 ROOFS, next Vol.) 



WALLS AND LATH. 



37. When the sides of a room or that part overhead are 

 lathed with lath of ordinary length, wherever the lath break joint 

 for a foot or two, there will be a crack in the wall. In order to 

 remedy this cracking of the walls, the strips of lath should extend 

 entirely across the room. When a house is lathed in this manner, 

 there will be no cracks in the plastering across the lath. 



38. The lath for my house were all sawed with a two-horse 

 railway power, with a circular saw one foot in diameter, out of 

 basswood plank, which was about an inch and a quarter thick. 

 The lath were sawed, about three-eighths of an inch thick, very 

 true ; and there is not a place in the entire house where the lath 

 break joint ; and, consequently, not a crack to be found across 

 the lath. This is a very economical way to procure lath ; and 

 they are usually much better than those that are purchased. 

 Have the logs sawed into plank an inch and one-fourth thick, as 

 long as the width of the widest room ; and let them be sawed up 

 into lath before they are seasoned, as they will not saw so hard. 

 Such work should be performed when the business of the farm 

 does not demand attention. 



39. Mortar. No one can reasonably expect to have good walls 

 unless they are made of the best of mortar ; and good mortar 



